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2016 Election

The election until very recently has been nearly deadlocked. There are ups and downs but only occasionally were ratings far from center.

I live in a very democratic area and to my friends and colleagues it seems preposterous that Trump would be considered at all.

But the things and values that resonate with Liberal minded folks are different than that of Conservative. And so we argue over priorities and set points.

But I see something fundamentally different. Something we all miss. I think that conservatives and liberals prefer entirely different communication channels. So it's not that nobody listens. I think we really do make an effort to bridge the gap. But we aren't even hearing the message. It's like the classic argument about aliens visiting Earth. That we wouldn't be able to communicate not because we couldn't decipher their language, but that we wouldn't even know they're speaking.

But we do share common channels of communication, speech, writing, body language, etc. So why the crosstalk? I am reminded of reading books about men and women in the workplace. How men and women try to achieve different, hidden or subtle, objectives. Men preserve respect and heirarchy, women preserve relationships and consistency. For men ideals and strength are manifest. They are for women too, but never at the cost of family, love or health. And when women and men are in a room together, it seems difficult to find a method that works for everyone. Someone's needs go neglected.

And I feel the same way about liberals and conservatives. That we have similar but not compatible objectives. That we address the needs of Americans faithfully, but even sincerity goes misinterpreted.